Growth in Central Florida has slowed a bit over the past few years leaving some businesses, small and large, forced to close their doors.
The truth is, a majority of our state and local dollars come from growth and property taxes, agriculture and tourism. If one of those economic legs isn’t doing well, then we have a major funding problem, like we have right now. To create a sustainable economic future in Central Florida, we must take advantage of opportunities to change our economic landscape.
Luckily for those of us reading this, our future is in our hands – literally right in our own backyard. District 4 is a vital piece to the economic landscape puzzle, if you will, with several large-scale opportunities primed to strengthen our economic future. From Lake Nona’s “Medical City” to the expansion of the Central Florida Research Park into ICP to redevelopment efforts amongst many of our small business corridors, diversification and economic prosperity is knocking at our doors. It’s up to our political and business leaders to answer those calls and open those doors.
To realize the goal it’s going to take a clear goal and smart, long-range planning. Each opportunity will need to be studied and reviewed, both holistically and individually, as each is an economic activity center with its own pros and cons.
Growing up in Central Florida, I learned that if opportunity comes knocking, you answer. If changing our economic future is the goal, then we must plan ahead and be ready to open those doors starting today.
